What Is a RAST?
Radioallergosorbent testing (RAST) involves measuring specific allergic antibodies in a person’s blood. While the quality of RAST has improved in recent years, it is still limited in the number of tests available, as well as the smaller amount of minor allergens present in a particular test (such as a certain pollen or pet dander).
RAST has recently become more useful in the diagnosis and management of food allergies, however. While skin testing to foods can give a sense, based on the size of the reaction, whether a person is truly allergic to the food, RAST actually measures the amount of allergic antibody to the food. This value can help determine is a child has possibly outgrown the food allergy, for example.
The high cost of RAST, as opposed to the less expensive skin test, as well as the delay in results of days to weeks, also makes it less desirable than skin testing. Skin testing also continues to be the better test, with less false positive and false negative results.
Radioallergosorbent testing (RAST) involves measuring specific allergic antibodies in a person’s blood. While the quality of RAST has improved in recent years, it is still limited in the number of tests available, as well as the smaller amount of minor allergens present in a particular test (such as a certain pollen or pet dander).
RAST has recently become more useful in the diagnosis and management of food allergies, however. While skin testing to foods can give a sense, based on the size of the reaction, whether a person is truly allergic to the food, RAST actually measures the amount of allergic antibody to the food. This value can help determine is a child has possibly outgrown the food allergy, for example.
The high cost of RAST, as opposed to the less expensive skin test, as well as the delay in results of days to weeks, also makes it less desirable than skin testing. Skin testing also continues to be the better test, with less false positive and false negative results.
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